Assorted Student Matches

Atsumi Manami & KISHIDA vs. Suikappu Kenchiro & Sasaki Complete Jr, CWP 12/10/2017

This is from CWP which means Come On Wrestling Party. I assume this is like a student wrestling fed so some things were a bit clunky, but you also get lots of fun unique things. The ruleset for this was interesting as the first 4 minutes was all grappling rule, then I believe 4 minutes of KO only and finally a regular pro wrestling match. The grappling and striking was really fun in an UWFish way, the pin combos and narrow nearfalls were really cool. As soon as striking became legal all 4 guys began waffling the hell out of each other with thudding kicks and knees, really way more heated and mean spirited than you expect a match between amateurs to get. Credible shoot-style spinebuster was easily the highlight.The finish was also damn great with the pin combos vs. Shoot submissions approach. Really really nice stuff, better and more inspired than what most pro leagues put on these days.

Kusuri Matsumura vs. Hinjaku Ningen Casshern, AZW 7/10/2022

 

Not exactly sure how to translate these names (Poor Human Casshern?). Another surprisingly great match from two “amateurs”, why can’t Japanese pro leagues put on matches this spirited in 2022?! This was like the best grand structure Japan singles I’ve seen in 2022 so far, iron out some of the exeuction problems Casshern has and you’d have one of the more outstanding singles of the decade. Starts solid enough with some nice smooth chain wrestling, but after a couple minutes this turns into smash mouth wrestling. Matsumura is a really great bruiser lighting up his skinny opponent with blistering chops. Matsumuras jumping boots were absolutely awesome and there are a ton of well respected pro wrestlers who don’t have any offense that good. Cassherns execution was a bit soft, the guy is built like a noodle, but I really appreciated his gameplan of attacking Matsumuras arm and going for jumping knees. It builds to this really fantastic tricked out finishing run that has maybe the best build to an octopus hold I’ve ever seen in a match, with a bunch of really choice counterwork around the move. Matsumura narrowly evading defeat and just blasting his opponent with gritty suplexes felt like something out of an epic NOAH match starring maybe Honda. Excellet stuff that puts many pro leagues to shame.

Added to the 2022 MOTY List.

Yasushi Sato vs. Dekai Ichimotsu, ? 12/15/2013

I don‘t know if Yasushi Sato was ever a student wrestler, and at this point in 2013 he‘s of course had several hundred pro matches already, but his opponent I am pretty sure is another hobbyist. Ichimotsu has a black t shirt training pants and wrestling shoes get up which is like the least intrigueing look you can possibly bring into a match, but he was really good and this was pretty much indistinguishable from a pro match. Of course Yasushi Sato is a really fucking great wrestler so he can have a damn great match with pretty much anyone, but Ichimotsu never looked lost and he brought quite a bit to the table. Ichimotsu had some impressive counters from underneath and he was vicious going for Satos arm, he also busted out a Nakaya Nielsen tier double stomp. He also had a nice variety of ways to attack the arm and his laser focus added a nice structure to the match. Like any Sato match the match had a bunch of really sweet matwork, awesome cradle and suplex spots, nifty counters and good psychology. Excellent match overall that anyone who‘s into technical unqiue matches should check out.